Column-indicating device for copyholders



' July 21, 1925.

E. A. VOLLMERS COLUMN INDIGATING DEVICE FOR COPYHOLDERS Filed Sept. 8, 1922 Patented July 21, 192 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMMA AGNES VOLLMERS, or WHITE PLAINS, new Yonx.

COLUMN-INDICATING DEVICE FOR COPYHOLDERS.

Application filed September To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, EMMA AeNEs Vonn- MERS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of White Plains, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Column-Indicating Devices for Copyholders, of which the followlng 1s a specification. Y

My invention relates to positlon 1nd1cating devices andespeoially to devices of such a character as to be of assistance to copyists in copying columns of tabulated figures or other similar subject-matter.

In its preferred form, my invention relates especially to devices which are adapted for placement upon the horizontal line-indicating bar of a copy holder adapted to hold the subject-matter to becopied in a vertical or other convenient position.

' In the drawings:

- Figure 1 represents the preferred embodiment of the invention in front view with certain parts being shown in section broken away; Fig. 2 represents a slmpler modified form of the invention;

Fig. 3 illustrates the manner of placement of the position indicating device upon the line-indicator bar of a. copy holder; and

Fig. 4 represents a cross sectional view of the device illustrated in Fig. 1, taken along the section line 4-4.

In the preferred form of the inventlon as illustrated in Fig. 1, the main portion of the device is formed of somewhat flexible and preferably somewhat resilient thin sheet material, such as a good quality of cardboard, aluminum, brass or steel,' and comprises a body portion A from which extend downwardly three depending portlons B,

C and D, and from which extend upwardly a portion 1, the right-hand edge of which is adapted to serve as the indicator of the left-hand margin of the column of figures or the like to which the device may be adjusted. The depending portions B, C" and D on the device serve as is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 for the adjustable placement of the device upon and in sliding contact with a horizontal line indicator such as is shown at X in Fig. 3 and is ordinarily made of thin sheet metal. In such placement the portions B and D may be placed beneath or behind the line indicator X while the central depending portion C may be in the drawing by 8, 1922. Serial No. 586,882.

placed above or in front of the .line indicator X, and may be provided with a knob as shown 'at 8 for-the convenience of the operatorin sliding or otherwise adjusting the device upon and along the line indicator.

In the preferred form I of the invention as shown in Fig. 1, in order to afford marginal adjustment so that the device may expose to view columns of figures or other data of different widths, a right-hand upwardly extending portion 2 of the device is mounted in slidable engagement with the body portion A and this device also may be provided with a knob as shown at 3 for convenience in ad- 'justment. In the specific form of the invention this right-hand margin indicator or column block 2 as shown in Fig. 1 may also be formed of sheet material such as is used for the manufacture of the main body of the device and is provided with a central downwardly extending portion E which is adapted for placement in engagement with and behind the upturned forward ortion of a guide-way 4; which may be forme as shown the bending downwardly and then upwardly of a portion of the mate rial integral with the body portion A. The

column block 2 is also provided with down wardly extending portions as indicated at 5, 7 and 9, the portions 7 and 9 being adapted for engagement at their upper portions with the upturned front flange of the guide-way 4 and being adapted to have their lower portions turned backward and upward beneath the depending back portion of the guide-way 4 so as to secure or hold the column block 2 in slidable engagement with the guide-bar. The depending portion 5 is adapted to constitute a stop bar which in connection with the column adjuster stop 6 projecting outwardly from the body portion A of the mdicator servcsto limit the movement to the right of the column block 2.

As will be apparent from the drawings and from the foregoing description the column block 2 may be adjusted by sliding' along the guide-way 1 so as to expose to view between the two column blocks 1 and 2 ter which it is desired to have in view regardless of the width of the same. Thus if a vertical column of figures is to be copied the same may be fastened tothe supporting plate Y of the copy holder shown in Fig. 3. The column indicator may be ad- 'thecolumn of figures or other subject-matjusted to expose the particular column. desired and by movement of the line indicator bar and column indicator relative to the supporting plate carrying the sub ect-matter to be copied, the figures or other sub ectmatter constituting the column may be successively exposed to view for, great convenience in copying or otherwise examining the same.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a mod1fied and much simplified formof the invention adapted for use where the feature of adjustability of one of the column blocks is not essential. In this modified form the device may likewise be formed of cardboard, sheet steel or other suitable material and comprises a body portion 100, upstandln stationary blocks 101 and 102, the r ght an left-hand mar ins of which respectively1 are adapted to indicate theleft and rightand margins of subject-matter to be exposed to view. From the body portion 100 extend depending portions 103, 104: and 105 corresponding as to general configuration and function to the portions B, C and D and described in connection with the device illustrated in Fig. 1. The depending portion 104 may be provided with a knob 106 for moving the device along a line indicator. If columns of subject-matter of only one width are to be dealt with in connection with using the device the modified form shown in Fig. 2 will of course suflice, but in dealing variantly or successively with columns of different widths the adjustable form as shown in Fig. 1 will obviously be much to be preferred.

As will be apparent from the drawings the extensions such as shown at 103, 104 and 105 serving for attachment of the position indicator upon a line indicator bar of a copy holder or some of these extensions may be bent so as to lie in a plane parallel to and slightly spaced from the plane of the main portion of the device. By thus olfsetting the extension 104, for example, a convenient and secure engagement of the device with the line indicator bar is facilitated. Similarly in the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1 the extensions of the adjustable column block 2 (by which the column block is secured to the guide-way 4) may be offset from each other or from the plane of the main upper portion of the column block 2 and the upper portion of the column block lying above the guide-way 4 may itself .be ofiset by bending backwardly along the line just above theguide-way so that it will lie in a plane substantially coincident with that of the stationary column block 1.

I claim:

1. A position indicating device formed with a body portion of stiff sheet material, one edge of said device being provided with the fixed extension, said extensions being adapted to serve as column bounding devices with columns of different widths.

2. A position indicating device formed with a body portion of stiff sheet material, one edge of said device being provided with integral means for holding the device in removable engagement with the line indicator bar of a cop holder, and the opposite edge of the device eing provided with a fixed extension and with a flanged portion carrying a slidable extension substantialy parallel with the fixed extension, said extensions being adapted to serve as column bounding devices with columns of difl'erent widths.

3. A position indicating device formed with a bod portion-of stiflt' sheet material, one edge 0 said device being provided with means for holding the device in removable engagement with the line indicator bar of a copy holder, and the opposite edge of the device being rovided with a fixed extension and with a anged portion carryin a slidable extension substantially paral el with the fixed extension, said extensions being adapted to serve as column bounding devices with columns of different widths, and said slidable extension being held upon the body portion of the device by interlocking flanges.

4. A position indicating device formed with a body portion of stiff sheet material, one edge of said device being provided with means for holding the device in removable engagement with the line indicator bar of a copy holder, and the opposite edge of the device being provided with a fixed extension and with a flanged portion carrying a slidable extension substantially parallel with the fixed extension, said extensions being adapted to serve as column bounding devices with columns of diflerent widths, and said slidable extension being held upon the body portion of the device by interlocking flanges and said body portion and slidable extension being provided with coacting stops to limit the sliding movement of the said extension.

5. A position indicating device adapted for use as a column indicator, said device comprising at one of its edges a fixed extension and a slidable extension movable to and from said fixed extension and in substantial parallelism therewith, said slidable extension being held in adjustable attachment on the device by interlocking flanges.

6. A position indicating device adapted for use as a column indicator on columns of different widths, said device being substantially flat and comprising a body portion of -resilient sheet material having two substan tially parallel edges, one of which edges is provided with integral extensions adapted to straddle a thin line indicator bar of acopy holder in slidable frictional enga ement therewith, and the other of which e ges is provided with an integral fixed extension and with a slidably adjustable extension parallel with the fixed extension and movable to and from the latter in interlocking guideways formed by said body portion tion.

7. A position indicating device formed and on the slidable extenwith a body portion. of stiff sheet material,

coacting flanges on the adapted to serve as column bounding devices with colnmns of different widths.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed fifth day of September, 1922. I

AGNES VOLLMERS.

my name to this specification on the 

